Magic Blades
by Cards
Summary: This is what I get for trying to be a nice guy" Briar, in his twenties dealing wiht his past. The girl who helps him deal and the women he marries. (BriarSandry)
1. Default Chapter

As I entered the town with Rosethorn my eyes recognized thing from every town I have ever been in. The large marketplace openly selling all the products needed to honest folk. Then down dark alley ways and through unprepared streets there are the other markets, selling women, drugs, the things that honest folk look down on.

Those streets used to be my home. I have the marks from my twelve years there, they decorate my back and legs. Violent men who looked upon my face and smiled. Taking me to their bedrooms. They were not looking for a boy to love. They were looking for a boy to fuck and beat.

These things I never told my foster sisters. Of course I wouldn't it was something they never knew of. Upon hearing that two boys had been found kissing in Gorse's kitchen Tris had laughed. She was raised with a merchant's prejudices and hatred. She had spent a good part of an hour laughing and telling jokes of what happens to men who lay with men.

I have always known I was attractive. Its hard not to when at five an old man in a tavern takes your face in his hand tipping it up and yells to a friend "This one's a beauty, make sure he's in my room tonight" When I was brought to Discipline I was surprised not to be beaten.

The girls there did not touch me or kiss me. They would sit in their corners and rooms and do what they would. The women who taught us did not have interest in me. They were always together, something that seemed to have escaped the notice of the rest of the inhabitants of the house. Tris would have left in a huff, Daja would have smiled slightly. Traders were known for their interesting love affairs. And Sandry, well she would have wished the two well.

In Discipline there was no one telling me I was beautiful, no one stroking my hair. But most of all there was no one beating me. Rosethorn was the one who I thought would beat me. Her temper and words scared me. The way her fist would fly out when weeding to grab at something would make my back arch back and scream in pain. Every time I did something remotely wrong I felt as if she would take what ever was closest and beat me with it.

Until one rainy day when they were forced inside. There was nothing to do, Rosethorn was diligently labeling the jars of herbs and I was sitting, feeling useless. Her sharp features were hell bend on ignoring my hands, picking up and putting away the jars, in what was supposed to be alphabetical order. She handed me one and I shoved it up on the shelf, causing another jar to fall and smash onto the ground.

"boy!" She yelled turning around. I instinctively fell back, my bare feet landing on the glass. Her hand reached for the broom, I debated whether or not I should move causing my feet to bleed even more or take the beating. "Sweep" She ordered "and you cost us a large supply of Lavender. I don't want to hear you complain about how much sleep you get" I nodded and stepped out of the glass, blood dripping from my cut up feet.

"Oh Green Man" She sighed looking at me "Sit" obediently I did, looking up at her. Part of me expected her to take me. I wasn't naive to the idea of cheating. But I was feeling safer then ever before. She sighed taking bandages and salve from shelves, sitting on the bench she took my foot in her hand.

"I'm not ever going to hit you Briar." She said, using my name as she cleaned out my feet.

"Sure" I said looking her in the eyes.

"Really I'm not" She sighed "I've seen how you watch me, I know you're afraid of me. I will not beat you" She started to bandage my feet. "What ever happened to you before, it will not happen here. No one will beat you, no one will take you to their bed"

I looked up at her, face hard. "Never said no one did."

"I'm just telling you. I've been in the area you are from. And you as well as I know that men take young boys as play things." she looked me in the eye. "Now I won't tell any one of this. But Boy, remember you are no longer in danger."

After that I knew I was safe. Because if Rosethorn promised it she would scare anyone who said different into hiding. It was the first time in my life I was safe and felt no need to hide ever. The fights I got in weren't over my life and I had mates to catch my mistakes.

Slowly as my powers grew my memory faded. I forgot a lot of the hell I went through before. But then I met Evey and I knew it was back to haunt me. Her thinking I wanted her for my own pleasure, just as I had thought Niko wanted me as a play toy. And for a few months I was forced to remember my life.

But here, walking from the tavern I am realizing how much I have grown from then. I do not take girls to my bed for no reason at all. I never did, but I had the chance. I am waiting for Sandry to come. She is going to visit me in this hell hole of a city.

I smile and sit down at the large table where all the inn patrons eat. I see the normal whores and as much as it hurts me to see it, young boys like I was. My eyes fall on a particularly attractive one, he sees me looking and moves over to talk to me. I can see the relief in his eyes. I am not ugly, far from it and have a kind look. Most of the men who were looking at him look hard, and are old. One of them grabs him and slips him some coin to come to his room in the evening.

I sigh, it has become a habit for me to stay in these inns. I could stay in the places the bags stay. But I do not want to loose who I am. I used to sit and laugh with the noble's we visited. They would treat me like a poor sap. Filling me with drink and making me tell stories of my training. Those places were the type that if you signaled would have a woman sent up and you would never hear cost of the extra money, it would be discreetly added onto your tab, nothing there to show to your wife or mother that you were doing disreputable women.

I realized one day that I was getting to be just as bad as the men who I had hated in my youth, that I would look at street boys and scoff at them, warning people not to leave money handy. One day I realized that I was about to cuff a kid when he hadn't done something right. I stopped right before I hit him, the boys raven black hair shimmering in the light of the candle. I dismissed him and paid him probably what he would have earned that entire year. Apologizing every three seconds.

After that I moved back to the rat infested places of my youth. Allowing Rosethorn to use the money saved on medical supplies and the like. I was afraid to do so, of course, who in their right mind isn't terrified of the slums? But oddly enough the thing that scared me more was the look in that kids' eyes as I almost hit him. It wasn't fear, or terror. It was expectance. The look that must have been in my eye when Rosethorn was mad at her plants

I look down at the table, the stew in front of me is hardly edible. I could afford much better, I could buy this entire inn. But it wouldn't change anything. As I contemplate my stew, and whether or not it really is edible some one knocked into me. My elbow flying into the bowel, knocking it.

I turned around, knifes in my hands.

"Sorry" The girl smiled, her dress was dirty, that's to be expected, so was her face and her hair. But she looked amazing. Her teeth were in remarkably good condition, her body was healthy from what I could see, and her hair, though dirty was well pulled back into a thick braid that went down to about her mid back.

"Its okay" my blades go back into their sheaths, and I motion to the seat next to me. "Do you have any plans tonight?" I say, then realize how stupid that sounds.

She smiles at me, sitting down her skirts loosely settling around her, an ease about her. Suddenly I am reminded of Sandry. Sandry, who has grown from the little noble I first met, to the Duchess of Emlan. Who will be coming here, to see me. Her Fiancée, the former Street Rat. The only reason anyone would let the match be made was the fact that his coffers grew every time he sold a tree. The trees were absurdly priced, and worth every penny. And here I am, eating with a prostitute.

"So, what you here for?" She asks.

"Work" I say, deciding finally that the stew is inedible.

"Ah" She says, nodding her head, and tucking into the stew slopped in front of her. She must have the same kind of deal with the owner of this place that I had with one of the men in Sotat, they get a cut, I got fed. "What's your name?" she asks me, not really caring.

"Briar Moss" I say, she doesn't recognize it, or pretends not to.

"Yours?" I ask, watching her carefully.

"Porter" She says, looking up at me, slightly confused. "So you married?" She asks, and even though she's been nearly shoveling food into her mouth she still looks neat enough.

"Engaged." I say, remembering trying to make awkward conversation with the men.

"Ah, she a bitch?"

"Not always"

"Not give you what you need?" Her eyes looking up at me, trying to find out if even though I look nice enough really I have a disturbing pleasure.

"She's just far away." I say, giving my standard answer. I don't actually sleep with these women, or the boys. I just give them a place to sleep.

"Listen," She smiles "I ain't normally in this business. I'm a street fighter."

I knew a couple of them, they're part of a confidence trick, girls who look weak, but can sure pack a punch, then guys will have people bet on a pre selected man from the audience, and then, the girl beats up the guy and then the guys will take the money and run, the money is split up between the rest of them.

"Uh huh?" I nod watching her, noticing that what I had originally thought was dirt was really bruises. Her eyes looked over mine, trying to read me.

"Yeah" She said. "So, we gunna go up to your room?" I nod.

"There's a bath up there" I say, as she stands, her stew bowel clean as if some one had washed it thoroughly.

"Oh" She says, walking in front of me. I see the boy again, he's only ten or eleven and he looks so much older. Broken.

As I stand musing about the boy who I wasn't able to get that evening, a man pinched Porter's rear, lightning quick she pulled a dagger from her side, slicing his arm. Just a quick I was able to catch the glimmer of silver following her movement.

Shit, so this is what I get for attempting to be a nice guy, another ward.

Disclaimer: I not own anything but Porter. Everything else is owned by Tamora Peirce, and if she wants Porter she can have her. I won't put up a fight or anything

Author's note: Okay, This is something I've had for a while. I wanted to look at Briar like in his 20's successful and not worrying about saving the world, only about himself and his relationship with Sandry. And then having something thrown on him. That would be Porter. And through Porter he learns more about himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: To begin with I apologize to anyone who did not agree with my rating. I didn't think anything I described was rude or crude, but upon reading it with a different look I see it is and have upped the rating to PG 13, please tell me if you think this too is too low.

Also, the subject was brought up about Briar not being a prostitute. I did not say he was. I said that men would pay him or others for his body. I figured that often in poverty people will do desperate things. And truly he wouldn't have thought much of it, until he realized what was happening. I took the line from the book "Men who liked play toys always regretted meeting him" (12). To mean men who wanted a young boy for sex. And in a gang atmosphere if the thief lord wished him to go to bed with a man to secure a bribe or the like would have been infallible.

Also. Rosethorn and Lark were together. The editors made them take it out of the book. That isn't out of the question or wrong

And with Sandry, that will be explained as the story went along.

Now on with that Story

I stared at the girl, her knife had made a clean cut across the man's arm, slicing with a precision expected of a butcher marking the nearest hair of an ounce. Not a blind swing. The cut was deep enough to leave a lasting scar, I felt my own deep scars of the plant that had christened me ages ago. But it was not deep enough to require him to see a healer immediately.

That alone would have made one suspect that Porter had Magical training, let alone the definite magic flares I had seen when she had raised her hand. But the thing was. If she knew she had some kind of magic she wouldn't have been waiting here. Not for me, not for anyone. If she wasn't already in a gang, any magical training would have planted her straight into the gang war fare as any ruling gangs in the area would have attempted to persuade her.

She continued up the stairs, where my room was without even noticing or looking back at her handiwork. Not many of the other patrons had paid attention to it either. But surely it would have ruined her in this tavern, or maybe the town.

I watch her as she walks in front of me, her body moves well. I can see that she carries herself with a sort of refined grace that is not much seen in those of the lower classes. I don't know really what separates them from the upper, besides the obvious money. But I am proof enough that with money a street urchin can become more. Perhaps it is unfair to compare the lower class with the rich. The rich the upper class have money that they will never be able to spend and the poor have little choice over what they do. I am proof of that.

Porter looked over at me. "What?" She asked. Her coarse skirts dragged slightly in the dirt of the inn.

"Where did you learn that?"

"Its simple. You take the blade and cut" She said. "Oh" Her eyes are wide open "I won't hurt you, don't worry" She smiled.

"I'm not" I said. There we go. "My rooms right here" I unlock it, uncomfortably aware of the closeness Porter is forcing on me. "Um, there's a bath, food" I have the best room this shit hole of an inn can offer. And with it I've put little into it. No one would think that I've been living out of my trunk, not using the nicely provided worm eaten wardrobe. The most homey touch is the blanket that Sandry sent to me a while back. Its deep emerald green. She sent it with a note "To keep you warm".

"Mister, this is real nice. But I just want to get this done." Porter is direct and to the point.

"You have somewhere better to be?"

"No"

"Then stay the night"

"Sir. I don't think you understand." She moved towards the door. "I ain't normally a whore."

"I don't want a whore."

For the first time she looks uncomfortable. No longer afraid that I was afraid of her she now looks terrified that she'd found someone who will kill her. I know first hand the vulnerability that comes with the discovery that you may be locked in a room with a man who intends to kill you. One time the thief lord was mad at a mate of mine, locked him up with a killer. This boy wasn't a wimp, he was strong. But I saw him when he came out, all bloody and broken. He hadn't put up a fight, he'd let this man nearly kill him. My experiences were less calculated, the thief lord trying to gain favors and me being the bargaining chip.

By the time I was found by Niko I had beaten up one of those men and thrown into the thief gangs. No longer as pretty as I was and too tough. All that gone now, except for a front that could keep me safe.

"Then what do you want?" her eyes only almost betrayed her. She moved her hand to the dagger. I had a feeling I better speak soon otherwise she would loose the initial fear and just strike to my heart with deadly accuracy.

"I'm a mage, I saw you do magic."

The girl laughed "You saw magic?" She grinned "If you were a mage you wouldn't be in the thieves district, You'd be with the posh lords and ladies." She looked at me "Anyway, what would I have magic at?"

"something to so with your dagger" I said, realizing how stupid it sounded.

"Listen, it's a pleasure to meet you, You're insane. I'll leave." She turned away.

"Did you make it?"

"The dagger? No, never been in a forge except to buy"

"Did you train to fight?"

"Look around you, in this town women don't fight. That's why the con works" She said.

"Then how did you learn?"

"My pa taught me"

"Did he teach you how to fight blind?"

"No"

"I bet you could"

I'd changed since leaving Winding Circle. I knew that. I'd changed once into a pompous man boy who tried to forget his past. Now I was falling head first into it. Trying to forge a true identify before I marry Sandry and leave the world I've always known. Now I was more like the hostile youth who Niko had been forced to coerce into bathing.

She glared at me, her body was taught with muscle, and I realized no matter what she was strong. "Who are you to make assumptions about me!" She snapped. "You know what could happen if word got out that I had magic!"

I knew quite well. She would loose her ability to blend in. People on the streets were desperate for magic, some man might buy her for a night and sap her magic dry. And if she didn't have enough, he could kill her hoping for the magic to multiply to save her. It was one of my worries, before Rosethorn promised to take care of me.

"I'll take care of you" I said softly, hoping to calm the girl down.

"Oh is that what this is about? You want a pet so you tell me I have magic to scare me into working for you and sleeping with you!"

"I don't want sex!" I yelled. "Believe me if I did I would go to a brothel! I'm not stupid people in taverns aren't proper whores!"

She raised an eyebrow, her ability to stay calm was that of a fighters. I never was able to master that. I fought rough and I fought hard. But I didn't fight calm.

"Well" She said. "Then what do you want"

"Can I see your dagger?" I asked "I want to see if the magic is on it."

She snorted "it's a plain old dagger. I bought it cheep, sharpened it." Her eyes are defensive, and I notice her stance change.

"I just want to test it for magic" My voice is sounding desperate now, I can feel it.

"Listen" She starts "I don't know what your pleasure is!" She snapped "But this is weird. I'm leaving" Porter says sharply.

"Listen!" I sigh, I've never been very good with being tactful, Sandry has reminded me of that enough. "Its my responsibility to train you until I find you a better skilled teacher"

"And what does this training mean exactly!"

"Meditation! I don't know! I don't even know what your power is" He sighed "If you give me the dagger then I'll be able to see if its you, or the dagger."

Reluctantly she hands over the dagger, making me see the pain it causes her. I remember the feeling of handing over my knives to Niko. My former thieving fingers hold the blade delicately, she's right it's a cheap blade, the metal is worn, she probably paid too much for it in the first place. The only magic is along the blades, I run my finger over the blade gently. I put no pressure on it, but I can feel the blade cut through the pad of my thumb.

"Well?" She asks. I balance the blade on my finger, its hardly perfect.

"Its junk metal."

"It works just fine for me" She snaps, taking the blade back, her fingers sparkle slightly with magic as she grips the handle, the metal strengthens in her grip.

"Porter" I say soflty "Its you"

Her gray eyes look me over. I remember Evy's reaction, disbelief. I didn't know how to teach her either but I had worked hard until we'd found a stone mage who worked with her. Porter just looked angry.

"Then what is my magic?" She asks her body closing up.

"I have no idea" The worst part of being a mage is that, knowing something but not enough of it.

Porter snaps her body away from me. "Then why bother to tell me?" She moves away towards the door.

"Because you're my responsibility now" I say.

"Just pay me" She says looking at me "I don't want to be pulled into your game."

Now I have to prove it to her, I grasp blindly for how Rosethorn convinced me, for how I convinced Evy. But in order to do that I would have to find out what her magic was.

"Let me scry for it" I say, "I'll pay you for the time, feel free to take a bath, or eat."

She takes a piece of fruit from the basket I have available. As I search out something that will work with my magic that will also allow me to see the future she eats it lazily, watching me with a trained fighters eye.

I take a hold of a mixture made the help lawyers and the like see clearly through spells and pour it onto a silver tray. I add some truth mixture and concentrate on the magic of this girl. The knife I held earlier hovers in the mixture, as does a strange variety of other weapons.

I am thoroughly confused.

More Author's notes: Sorry that I have to do more! But I got a lot of reviews for this (even if some were people telling me it was implausible yadda yadda) (But yay! Me for making a controversy!) But I like this story. I have read will of the Empress. And yes I am going to rewrite the first chapter a little. I'm going to assume that Briar figured some things out before the girls. I also apologize for how long this took to get up. I am currently without the net and am experimenting if my Ipod really will act like a flash drive. Hopefully this will work. Keep leaving the good reviews! Tell me what sucks especially!


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